DEIVATHIN KURAL # 181 (Vol # 5) Dated 29 May 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 181 (Vol # 5) Dated 29 May 2012

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by PeriyavaaL of Kanchi Kaamakoti Peetam, over a period of some 60 years while he was the pontiff in the earlier part of the last century. These have been published by Vanadi Padippagam, Chennai, in seven volumes of a thousand pages each as Deivathin Kural. Today we are going ahead from page No 1128 of Vol 5 of the Tamil original. The readers may note that herein ‘man/he’ includes ‘woman/she’ too mostly. These e-mails are all available at http://Advaitham.blogspot.com updated constantly)

6. Many of us have started in a big way doing Paaraayanam, Japa, Upavaasam, visiting temples, attending Bhajanai, Satsang, taking part in religiously oriented social service and so many such activities, haven’t we? Then as the days go by, our keenness dwindles or some small incident becomes a dampener! I myself started a plan called, ‘Mudra AdhikaarigaL Dhittam’, as though I will turn the whole world around, by which many service activities and periodic prayer meets were organised; which have all gone and vanished without a forwarding address! Whereas, have we ever seen a club running a bar, card room, dances and organised gambling; ever go bankrupt or pack up and go? Many members may become bankrupt but, the club goes on thriving forever! There is ‘Ajaadhyam’ there!

7. No other history or biography or even fiction can match Anjaneya’s indomitable will to succeed coupled with a ‘never say die attitude’ against all odds and opposition of Himalayan proportions! There is super ‘Ajaadhyam’ there! Immediately after his birth as an Avatara, the infant baby, thinking of the Sun to be a red fruit, just launched itself in an orbit to the Surya Mandalam! Then itself monumental obstacles started cropping up! Indra the King of all Devas threw the Vajra Aayudham (the bolt of lightning and thunder is said to be the weapon of Indra – the Vajra Aayudham) and broke his jaw. ‘Hanu’ means the jaw. Hanuman as a name evolved to indicate a man with something noticeably wrong with his jaw, I suppose. But, He did not give up at once. He went to Surya, approached him as a Sishya goes to a Guru and learnt many things from him including the ‘Nava VyakaraNa’ (the nine grammer books in Sanskrit), without tiring and giving up, travelling from ‘Udaya Giri’ (Hill of the Rising Sun) to ‘Asta Giri’ (Hill of the Setting Sun); facing the Sun all the time with due respect and reverence! As a child also he played many pranks and got on the wrong side of many. Entering the quiet and peaceful Ashramas of many Rishis, he would pluck the flowers and fruits from plants, biting and tasting some, dropping many littering all around. One of those Rishis cursed him that he may forget his divine powers, till when he will one day serve the purpose of Sri Rama Avatara! Still he did not pull a face and sit down in a corner. He did all that he could in the service of his friend Sugriva. There also obstacles galore came up. The great warrior Vaali came up to vanquish Sugriva. So, Hanuman took Sugriva to a place inaccessible to Vaali due to a curse and took able care of his friend. Then after he came under Sri Rama, his divine powers were also back with him, after Jaambavaan reminded him of his super human powers, just before he launched himself across the oceans from the Mahendra Hills, in search of Sita! Then he did many impossible feats of valour such as crossing miles of oceans as though jumping over a puddle of water, picking up mountains as though plucking weeds from the ground, fighting with and defeating well built and strong Raakshasaas in combat!

8. Just note the number of obstacles that he had to encounter, while crossing the ocean through the air! Three different Raakshasees (female ogres) came in the way to prevent him from proceeding further, namely Surasai, Himsikai and LangiNi. Surasai opened her mouth wide for gobbling him; Hanuman became smaller than a mosquito, entered her mouth and came out of her ears, without getting stuck in the Raakshasee’s mucous membranes! He could have fought and defeated her but that would have affected Swami’s time schedule, delayed release of Sita, affecting Sri Rama’s return to Ayodhya beyond the 14 years of Vana Vaasa period; and there Bharatha would have committed suicide by jumping in to the fire! He had to be calculative of all that time and have the presence of mind – that is Ajaadhyam to the core!

9. When you are deeply involved in your work, then you would not be aware of your tiredness or boredom or Jaadhyam at all. From the middle of the ocean the Mynaaka Malai (a mountain of that name) came up offering itself as a place of rest for Hanuman, who was travelling by the aerial route, telling him, “Sir! Please be kind enough to take a break and rest for some time on the salubrious environs of this mountain top rest area of mine”! He told the Mynaama Malai, “OK! Let the job be over, we shall see on my return journey!” Thus he gave a pat on the shoulders of that Mynaaka Malai expressing his appreciation and continued on his way, like an arrow from Rama’s bow that never misses its mark! Then how many Raakshasaas tried to attack and kill him! How many pestered him in so many ways! Finally they put fire to his tail! Did he ever lose heart and get diverted from his mission? Thus throughout the story he kept facing obstacles and hindrances, one over the other and he goes on with relentless vim and vigour. The greatest appreciable point in all this is that, amongst them all, so much Buddhi, Balam, Dhairyam and Ajaadhyam; he did not make use of any of his powers for selfish reasons? He is a man with no ‘personal life’ of his own! We hear about a phrase, ‘selfless service’ too often these days. Anjaneya Swami was a true embodiment of what is ‘selfless service’! Was there a wife or children or family life for him? Initially he was in Sugriva’s service and then for Sri Ramachandra Murthy, he sacrificed his whole life! As his ennobling qualities of physical prowess and mental and moral acumen were embellished by lack of selfishness, in addition to devotion, humility and integrity; they mutually increased the impact!

10. After Buddhi and Balam, the third is ‘Yashas’ – which is name and fame. True fame comes from sincere service of devotion with no mix of selfishness whatsoever! All other qualities of brains, strength, courage, fearlessness, health and presence of mind, as well as ‘vaak patutvam’ that is, the power of expression – that even characters like Ravana of olden times and Hitler in the modern day world had in plenty; but getting true admiration of yashas does not happen to all! When you think of people like Ravana and Hitler, you feel like cursing, don’t you? When you use all your great and valuable qualities for the sake of welfare of the world at large, only then can true fame come to you. Thinking of him and us as well, one is lost for words; as there is just no comparison! (PeriyavaaL becomes quiet and contemplative. Then suddenly he restarts with overflowing kindness.) Nobody need feel bad. Please do not feel insulted that I am calling you names and things like that. I have no anger or acerbity.

11. While talking about Anjaneya Swami, we should give no place for anger. Sri Rama gave him Upadesa of Gnaana and Sita as the Mother gave him Upadesa of ‘Prema’. After Ravana was killed, Anjaneya came to Asoka Vana jumping with joy, to inform the good news to mother. One look at all the Raakshasees on guard duty there, he was about to jump on them and finish them all off, for having been a pain on mother’s side all these days! Amma Sita said, “My Dear Anjaneya! What is the defining character of high culture? It is unconditional love. Who in the world can ever say that they have never erred or sinned? Do not touch them. They were royal maids. They have to obey the king’s orders. So whatever they did was as per the royal edicts. If now, VibhishaNa becomes their king, by his orders they will do Namaskar.” From that day Anjaneya became the very incarnation of love and compassion! But, that does not mean that he will not punish evil doers. If need be he will show anger or annoyance, with the deep care and consideration that we should abjure the evil ways and adopt the righteous path.

12. So, if I do become annoyed, that would mean that I am not qualified to talk about Hanuman. As a bit of a show of annoyance will cajole you on the right path, I do a bit of huffing and puffing like the ‘shock treatment’ given by doctors sometime! There is no anger. Nobody need be annoyed with anybody. Prem should be the only attitude with all beings. That is what Anjaneya loves. But he will not agree to the erosion of value systems and righteousness. He won’t sit tight and watch gradual deterioration of human value systems. So in action you have to be watchful and alert, if you have to deserve his Anugraha. So that Anjaneya may bless us to be ever actively alive, effectively abjuring laziness, let us all pray to him!

MANGALAM

(That brings us to the end of Deivathin Kural Volume Five. From the next e-mail onwards we will be going on to the next Volume that is # 6.)

SAMBHOMAHADEVA